True freshman Emily Koenig was named the 2010 Southland Conference Female Athlete and Freshman of the Year by vote of the league's head coaches, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon. Koenig was also named to the 10-person SLC All-Conference team.

"I am very happy for Emily," head coach John Sauerhage. "It's obvious that all her hard work has paid off. We know that she is going to continue to get better and better. I think she is only at the beginning to what she is going to accomplish in her next four years."

Koenig is the first student-athlete in Southland history to be named both the athlete and freshman of the year. A native of Temple, Texas, Koenig is the third UTA runner and first since Frida Rosenberg in 1995, to win the individual medalist award at the Southland championship. Koenig completed the 6-kilometer run with a time of 21:30, eight seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

"No one has ever won a conference championship as a freshman here at UT Arlington. She has an opportunity to be a national qualifier and maybe an All-American before she's through," Sauerhage added.

Koenig heads to the NCAA Cross Country Regionals on Nov. 13 with four first-place finishes under her belt.